Politicians who "get it" - this is Ray Nagin, who has been the mayor of New Orleans for just over 100 days now. I'm watching him on TV right now discussing the achievements of his administration. High on the list is technology (which is what I'll focus on). He talks about city government's role in processing information, and the need to have tools to do that effectively. His administration is revamping the computer systems, building web services for businesses, and reevaluating how to make information flow more efficiently.
He admits he has made mistakes, and has learned a lot in his first 100 days. New endeavors bring learning opportunities but, he says, so do familiar tasks. "If you're not learning something new every six months, it's my philosophy, you're falling behind."
Nagin is truly working to make a change in this city, and I predict that in a couple of years it will be a widely reported national story. New Orleans is a great city, but has some serious problems. Getting a leader like Nagin was a godsend. He can't change everything by himself, but he is an important force for change. The key is that he puts the needs of his community over the desires of special interest groups. We need more people in government like Nagin.
10:32:04 AM
Politicians who "get it" - this is Ray Nagin, who has been the mayor of New Orleans for just over 100 days now. I'm watching him on TV right now discussing the achievements of his administration. High on the list is technology (which is what I'll focus on). He talks about city government's role in processing information, and the need to have tools to do that effectively. His administration is revamping the computer systems, building web services for businesses, and reevaluating how to make information flow more efficiently.
